Gradually and confidently, Hindi film music's only trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is inching towards immortality.
It's astonishing what wonderful work they do with first-time directors: Farhan Akhtar's "Dil Chahta Hai", Honey Irani's "Armaan", Rohan Sippy's "Kuch Na Kaho", Nikhil Advani's "Kal Ho Na Ho..." and now debutant Samir Karnik's "Kyun! Ho Gaya Na", which has the cleanest and most captivating line-up of melody and rhythm in recent months.
After turnips like "Garv" and "Mujhse Shaadi Karoge", this one comes as a breath of fresh air.
At first you may wonder what the trio hopes to achieve in the alfresco ambience of the marching beats in "Pyar mein sau uljhane". But it's a totally new sound, done without any ostentatious, self-congratulatory flourish.
Throughout this satisfying album we feel the invisible hands of destiny guiding the notes to a place where there can never be any strife or unrest.
The quiet confidence with which Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy build up the rhythmic repository in "Main hoon", rendered with ravishing relish by Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan, is a sign of talent that crosses conventional borders of creativity without being daunted by the signposts or letting audience expectations bog it down.
The album wears a tidy and tempestuous look as though the creator was in a mood to improvise without getting into areas of discomforting innovation.
Two tracks, "No, no" and "Baat samjha karo", feature singer Chetan Shashital trying desperately to replicate the Bachchan baritone. Sudesh Bhosle did a much better job of imitating Bachchan's voice in songs like "Jumma chumma".
Having said that, let's be very fair. "Kyun! Ho..." is the kind of musical experience that comes to us very rarely these days. As is their custom, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have created one long-lasting melody for the soundtrack.
"Aao naa" is the kind of supple and silhouetted melody that earlier on would have gone unanimously to the mighty Lata Mangeshkar. Today one of her chief disciples Sadhana Sargam rrises to the occasion. It's a tune that haunts you.
One member of the composing trio, Shankar Mahadevan, makes himself vocally conspicuous several places. He shines every time he sings.
There's a quality of enduring joy in the album, heightened by Javed Akhtar's conversational yet poetic lyrics.